The Wandering Jew — Complete eBook

“We must bring the Pap-fed man to declare these
propositions in every respect orthodox—­show
him their good effect upon despotic governments—­upon
true Catholics, the muzzlers of the people. He
will fall into the snare. The propositions once
published, the storm will burst forth. A general
rising against Rome—­a wide schism—­the
sacred college divided into three parties. One
approves—­the other blames—­the
third trembles. The Sick Man, still more frightened
than he is now at having allowed the destruction of
Poland, will shrink from the clamors, reproaches,
threats, and violent ruptures that he has occasioned.

“That is well—­and goes far.

“Then, set the Pope to shaking the conscience
of the Sick Man, to disturb his mind, and terrify
his soul.

“To sum up. Make everything bitter to him—­divide
his council—­isolate him—­frighten
him—­redouble the ferocious ardor of good
Albini—­revive the appetite of the Sanfedists[25]—­give
them a gulf of liberals—­let there be pillage,
rape, massacre, as at Cesena—­a downright
river of Carbonaro blood—­the Sick Man will
have a surfeit of it. So many butcheries in his
name—­he will shrink, be sure he will shrink—­every
day will have its remorse, every night its terror,
every minute its anguish; and the abdication he already
threatens will come at last—­perhaps too
soon. That is now the only danger; you must provide
against it.

“In case of an abdication, the grand penitentiary
has understood me. Instead of confiding to a
general the direction of our Order, the best militia
of the Holy See, I should command it myself. Thenceforward
this militia would give me no uneasiness. For
instance: the Janissaries and the Praetorian
Guards were always fatal to authority—­why?—­because
they were able to organize themselves as defenders
of the government, independently of the government;
hence their power of intimidation.

“Clement XIV. was a fool. To brand and
abolish our Company was an absurd fault. To protect
and make it harmless, by declaring himself the General
of the Order, is what he should have done. The
Company, then at his mercy, would have consented to
anything. He would have absorbed us, made us
vassals of the Holy See, and would no longer have had
to fear our services. Clement XIV. died of the
cholic. Let him heed who hears. In a similar
case, I should not die the same death.”

Just then, the clear and liquid voice of Rose-Pompon
was again heard. Rodin bounded with rage upon
his seat; but soon, as he listened to the following
verse, new to him (for, unlike Philemon’s widow,
he had not his Beranger at his fingers’ ends),
the Jesuit, accessible to certain odd, superstitious
notions, was confused and almost frightened at so singular
a coincidence. It is Beranger’s Good Pope
who speaks—­